We found that not a lot was open once we arrived, even the Sunset Park with its tiny amusement rides is closed on Tuesdays. The new Surf City malecón was a bit disappointing and simply too hot to enjoy without sufficient tree cover. There did not seem to be much worth sticking around for, so we did not linger on the pavement. Instead, we sat outside at one of the newer restaurants not far from the fish market and watched the waves break from the shade. I had the tiniest beer, a 296 ml lager called a Golden lager rather than a pilsner, while Jay had a big goblet of orange juice that was mild and not soda. Even with the heat, sitting there watching the water felt like a fulfilling exercise.
After our drinks, we took a short walk through the downtown core, though that did not take very much time. There are quite a few beach towns along this coast, and I had assumed La Libertad would be the most developed due to the direct highway connecting it to the capital. Seeing the dark shoreline also reminded me that I definitely prefer sandy white beaches over black rock. I have always liked having mountains right next to the water, which is why Puerto Vallarta was always a favourite and became the place where we spent our first complete retirement winter. The Bitcoin connection here would certainly make buying property easy, but we have no desire to tie ourselves to a single place while we still have a good dozen years of travel left in us. We also do not need to travel the way we did when we were younger. We just wanted a simple lunch afterward, so we ate at a Subway. It is nice to be able to do whatever you want while still choosing modest options that match your immediate needs.
Getting back up the mountain turned into an adventure of its own. Our Uber driver was a young kid in a car without air conditioning, and the ride up the highway was a bit frightening, but we made it back in one piece before 1:00 PM.
Back in the room, Jay checked us in for tomorrow, though only for our first flight. Avianca could not assign our seats on United, promising instead that our names would simply be placed on the manifest for the next leg, which is a fine example of how seamless airline tie-ups actually are. Later in the afternoon, we watched a brief thunderstorm roll through from our sixth-floor hotel window. The rain and thunder started at 4:15 PM, knocked the dust down, and completely cleared to blue sky by 4:53 PM.
We will decide what to do for dinner a bit later, especially since the daylight fades quickly at this latitude. Packing will be painless since we only have a single suitcase between us. Tomorrow offers a civilized departure with our flight to Houston leaving at 12:05 PM, sparing us an ungodly morning alarm. Even allowing an hour for the drive out to the airport, we will still have plenty of time to enjoy our final breakfast buffet at the Barceló. All told, it has been an easy, pleasant birthday for Jay and a satisfying way to wrap up the trip.